Slam Dunk : A Different Story
by Izuke d.E
Summary: Slam Dunk continues with the same oldies... a few newbies... only this revolves around Izuke, a player out to be Japan's best. (posted on KAEDE's BOOKCASE, SLAMDUNK FOREVER, LIBRARY OF ANIME WORKS and ANIME : LOVE OF MY LIFE
1. The New Player : Izuke

Title: Slam Dunk - A Different Story 

Author: Kenjii Izuke (Izuke)

Status: Ongoing Part 1/27

Part 1: The New Player - Izuke

**********************************************************************

NOTE: Notice that the star in this fanfic is Izuke... (and that's my adopted japanese name) I'm not egoistic - just couldn't think of another name for the character. I can play basketball too even if i'm a girl!!! don't insult me. :)

**********************************************************************

Captain Akagi Takenori stepped up front and turned to his team mates. His expression was serious and focused, as though he had been deep in thought just a while ago. "Now listen up!" he barked loudly, "We will be facing a rather tough team..." Kogure interrupted him.

"Akagi-san, it's hardly...!"

"Shut up, Kogure," Akagi snarled aggressively, driving a pale-faced Kogure back into line, then gave a loud laugh, seeing the frightened look on the vice captain's face. "Anyway... as I was saying... once again, we will be facing team Shoyo! Even though this is just a practice game, I want all of you to practice hard... and..."

Just then, Ayako, the bubbly and enthusiastic team manager, burst into the court, panting. "Sumimasen! Akagi-senpai!" she exclaimed, her face bright. She was red in the face, breathing hard, and her thick, curly black hair was in a mess. She was holding a red cap in her hand, and she was wearing her usual black tights and plain white shirt.

"Ayako! You're late again – as usual. What's wrong... with you?" Akagi said, approaching the panting and puffing Ayako.

"You... wait... and see," she said, smiling and straightened up. "I've got a new ace player for you!" Everyone gasped and turned to her when she said this. Ayako turned to the green sliding doors of the basketball gym. "You can come in now, Izuke-chan!" This caught everyone's attention. _Who_ _was_ _Izuke_? They were curious to meet this new ace player of Ayako's and they were eager to see if she was as good as their manager said. Suddenly, the doors of the gym opened and in stepped a... GIRL – relatively tall for a 15-year old Japanese girl – and a dwarf compared to most of the Shohoku boys, except shorter ones like Miyagi Ryota.

"Um, yoroshiku minna," the girl said, and smiled. She had twinkly hazel eyes and sleek dark brown hair which she tied in a neat ponytail. She was quite pretty - and this caught the attention of Sakuragi Hanamichi. However, Akagi Haruko's sweet face popped into his mind, and he soon decided he'd go after the captain's younger sister instead.

The whole team was quite surprised and shocked, as well as confused. _A girl in the team_? No girls ever entered the basketball team or were even interested… well, except Akagi Haruko and Ayako, and they weren't even players – only because girls didn't play or it just wasn't right. But here was a girl stepping into the team as if she had all the rights in the world!

"Um... my name is Izuke, and I'm... er... kind of new here. I know you all have played for a long time here... and..."

"Izuke-chan," Akagi said, "We're training for a match. You might not want to join just yet."

Izuke looked slightly taken aback. She stepped forward and confronted the tall, giant of a captain. Izuke was 169 centimetres tall (5"7), and, despite her height (being quite tall for a 15-year old girl), looked quite ridiculous standing just in front of the giant Akagi Takenori. It was like comparing a giraffe with an ant.

"I play basketball," Izuke said boldly, obviously not intimidated by Akagi's size.

"Oh, you do, do you?" Akagi-san said, and gave a loud laugh. "Show us, then. You have a choice. Is there anyone you would specifically like to challenge?" He stepped aside, showing off the whole row of players. The entire team was easily at least 5 cm taller than her (except Miyagi who was the same height as her).

Izuke thought for a moment, studying each of the players intently. Finally, she spoke. "The best front line you have."

"Er... what?"

"The best front line here. Don't you even understand simple basketball terms, then? Geez! You know... the best five players of each position you have?" Izuke said loudly, stepping back. Immediately she threw off her Shohoku school blouse, under which was a light blue basketball shirt, which said 'DO-MINATO'.

"Do-Minato?" Akagi said, laughing loudly, "Isn't that the team we beat ages ago? Ha ha ha! I haven't played with them for a year!! They must still be really lousy."

"Take back your words, I mean it," Izuke said, "Of all my years in that school, I myself doubt if I have ever played against Shohoku. I'm not from Kanagawa, the high school basketball is of practically _no value_. I'm an ex Tokyo girl, and that's where the greatest value of basketball comes from. Would you like to keep thinking that way? Or take back your words? I may be a freshman, but don't underestimate me. I wasn't the captain of Do-Minato for nothing."

                "…once captain…?" Kogure murmured in shock, "…She must be really good. Plus, she's from Tokyo..."

                Akagi gave a snort. "Try us," he answered.

Ayako rushed in. "Stop fighting! Stop! Just go and play. Izuke-chan… are you sure about this?" Ayako looked extremely worried. "Don't worry," Izuke said, and shrugged. "I can beat them easily enough. Take Kanagawa's Ryonan team, for example. I bet I could beat them on my own with a margin of at least five points."

The whole team gasped. _What a show off_! Who did she think she was, showing off like that - beating the whole Ryonan team on her own? This was too much.

"W-ell..." Izuke corrected herself, "Maybe not the whole Ryonan team. But if you put me against Sendoh-san and Uozumi-san I'm sure I'll throw them off easily." She grinned. The team was impressed by how boldly, easily and confidently Izuke spoke. She was not afraid of speaking big... or did she really mean what she said?

"Handicap," Akagi said, handing the ball over to Izuke. "I'll let you start."

"Are you sure? Because you may want to take that back," Izuke said.

"I'm sure," Akagi said, grinning. Hah, he thought, this girl will never beat us! She looks so weak. But he thought otherwise when Izuke rushed off, dribbling the ball with style.

Akagi ran to the basket while the other team members covered Izuke. Izuke shook her head, chuckling softly. She had her own way of escaping from such defence. She glanced over at the basket. She was about 45 metres away from it. She took a small step forward, ready to throw. Her small hands tightly gripped the ball, not keen on having it stolen. Her eyes were focused intently on the purple rim of the basket.

"Think you can make it? No way!" Akagi laughed.

Izuke threw the ball. The team members stepped back. Suddenly, Izuke laughed and ran after the ball, which was coming down quickly. They were fooled! She had never meant to shoot from so far away. "I could have done it, you know!" Izuke laughed, as she neared the basket. Akagi struggled to cover her, as the other team members watched the events with interest.

Izuke ran forward and leaped up with amazing agility. Immediately, Akagi used his specialty, the 'steamboat cover' on her. Izuke simply moved her hands around and performed an alley-oop under Akagi's arms into the basket.

"Satisfied?" Izuke said, running a hand through her ponytail. "Or do you want to give it another go?"

"One more," a dark voice said. Izuke turned around.

"Rukawa-kun," Izuke murmured, then her face brightened. She smiled. "OK, one more round it is! Though I can't guarantee that your team will win this round."

                It was Shohoku team's ball this time. Rukawa caught it and began dribbling to the other end. Izuke caught up with him easily and guarded him tightly so he could not even find a way to pass the ball. As a last resort, he made a backhand pass to Sakuragi, who laughed loudly at this act and proceeded to near the basket.

               Sakuragi Hanamichi, with his growing red hair ruffling with the wind produced, jumped high up, all prepared to launch a full-scale dunk. However, he lost grip on the ball and it hit the board instead, causing a major BOO-BOO. Izuke quickly readied herself for a screen-out play. "Rebound…" she murmured to herself. Instead of getting the rebound, she waited for Akagi to get it instead. With speed to match Fujima Kenji's, she moved over and hurriedly snatched the ball from Akagi.

                "What the...!" Akagi roared, as Izuke made her way to the other side of the court. Mitsui and Sakuragi were waiting there. They jumped high up, both using the 'steamboat' technique but Izuke was careful not to put force in her jump. Her hands moved backwards, and she threw the ball towards the basket, as she landed diagonally backwards.

                "...Fade-away jump shoot!" Ayako exclaimed in surprise, standing up immediately, "I've never seen a first-year do that… plus Izuke is not that tall… she's great!!! Sugoi, Izuke-chan!" Izuke turned and smiled brightly at Ayako again. "What did I tell you?" She turned and suddenly noticed Rukawa wiping his sweat away with a blue Adidas towel. "Rukawa Kaede, is it?" she said, cocking her head to one side. Her voice was curious, as though she was trying to make sure that she'd got the right person.

"Er..?" (Rukawa shows a funny look)

"Baka! Now she likes YOU?" Hanamichi said angrily, raising his hands in frustration.

Izuke rushed over to Rukawa with an enthusiastic smile. "Oh, you're now playing for Shohoku, are you? I used to watch you play all the time!! Don't you remember me from the Inter Junior High?? I was the captain of Do-Minato Junior High!! I was the one who was always sitting on the bench at the side, keeping quiet doing nothing…?"

Rukawa thought for a moment. "Oh, now I remember. I used to think you were some idiot benched player since you hardly moved. Ha ha!" For once, Rukawa actually broke out into a slight smile, the first actual smile the team had seen since their match against Akita Shonen's Sannoh, and he chuckled in amusement. Izuke laughed along too. "But then, you were quite good on the court. Why were you sitting there for so long? What did your coach say?"

"Er... I _was_ kind of like the coach...!" Izuke exclaimed, turning slightly red. "Or much rather, my elder sister and brother."

"Oh!" Rukawa said, quite surprised, "Interesting. It's not often you come across junior high students who coach their teams, much less high school students… except Fujima Kenji, and he's already in his third year. But… you actually coached your team during junior high? That's... quite something to do."

"Really...?" Izuke said, "Well, that's partly thanks to you, you know. And besides, I didn't do that coaching all on my own. My brother and sister were a big part of it. And that was only for less than a year, after the coach left and we couldn't find anyone to take over his job at Do-Minato. Kind of like... a no-choice decision."

"Ah, I see. Thanks... to me...? What did I do now?" Rukawa said, raising an eyebrow. His warm smile disappeared, and he took another long drink from his water bottle.

Izuke smiled, and reddened even more. "I used to try and imitate your every movement on the court… and then slowly I developed styles of playing. New styles, all my own – and some not even my sister knows about. Then the school just assigned me to be the coach."

                "Ahh... I see," Rukawa said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Well, good job. Maybe captain might let you join the team. Gori… I mean, captain…?"

"I'm not sure," Izuke said doubtfully, "He doesn't seem to..."

Suddenly Akagi gave Izuke a hard thump on the back. He was grinning all over. "Of course I will!" he boomed, looking quite cheerful. "With people like you around - who can afford to lose?"

"I'm not accustomed to losing," Izuke said, staring at Akagi coldly, the twinkle in her eyes disappearing, "I really hate myself when I do something stupid."

"Just like Rukawa," Akagi said, obviously not put down by this statement. "The two of you can be really good buddies, eh? Hope to see both of you practicing hard. You'll be our secret weapon this time. 

We're against Shoyo."

"Shoyo," Izuke repeated softly, "Oh..."

"Something wrong?" Rukawa asked, squatting down and staring at Izuke. Izuke joined Rukawa and sat down next to him on the floor, her legs stretched out in front of her.

"Is that Kenji-kapten's team?"

The team was surprised. Kenji-kapten? No one had ever called him with such respect. Everyone called him Fujima, even the other coaches. Even the Shoyo team members. Everyone. Well... except for Izuke, who had just called him Kenji-kapten.

"...Fujima.. kapten...? Er.. yeah, why?" Rukawa answered, wondering what Izuke was thinking about. "You know him?"

"Not really," Izuke said. She lifted her head and smiled again. "I really admire him. He plays basketball really well."

"Hm, yeah..." Rukawa said, nodding, "Even I think so. For his height, he's..."

                Izuke chuckled, and hugged her knees, rocking back and forth. "For years, I'd always dreamed of becoming like Rukawa-san and Fujima-san. Your performances really inspired me. I trained everyday... EVERY DAY... well, almost... from morning till night... until I did so badly in school I had to stop my long hour practice and start studying..." Izuke's expression was wistful, and she took a deep breath before continuing. "But… now, nothing is going to stop me from being the best player in Japan!"

_Wow_, Ayako thought, _she's_ _really_ _determined_. _Even_ _Akagi_ _never_ _sounded_ _like_ _that_. He never actually meant what he said. But the new player Kenjii Izuke – well... she was like Rukawa in a way. The two of them had so much in common despite Izuke being new. They shared the same greed... the same desire to win. _Maybe_ _Anzai_-_sensei_ _might_ _send_ _both_ _of_ _them_ _to_ _the_ _US_.

"Ho ho! Not bad! I like your determination!"

Everyone turned around. "Anzai-sensei!" Akagi exclaimed. "Everyone up! Good morning, Anzai-sensei!" Everyone echoed. Anzai-sensei looked at Izuke, smiling his usual, cheery smile.

"I think I know you," he said, "But I'm not sure... have I seen you before at a match?"

"I'm not sure, sensei," Izuke said, "But I have gone for a number of matches before. I was the captain … and coach of Do-Minato Gakuen Tokyo.... I used to play shooting guard, but later the team made me point guard."

                "Sou desu ne. Coach… I think I remember now… Do-Minato… the first team to set a record of not a single charged time-out that whole year," Anzai-sensei said, still smiling. "That was your year, wasn't it? If I'm not mistaken…"

                "Yes, that's right," Izuke said. The Shohoku basketball club members were now very shocked. It was obvious that Izuke surpassed all of them, even the seniors and sophomores, highly in basketball. Her skills were far superior to theirs, and she definitely had over five years of experience in playing the game.

                "No charged time-out…" Ayako whispered, "…her team must be really strong… if we meet them in the IH…"

                "Anyway," Anzai-sensei said, turning back to Izuke, and fixing his glasses, which were falling off his nose. "When I was outside… you were saying something about… Fujima Kenji?"

"Er... kind of. He is good," Izuke answered.

Anzai-sensei nodded. "Very good. Who would have thought - he'd be the coach of Shoyo, at such a young age too. But maybe I'll change my mind about that, since there are people like you." He chuckled. "I talked to Kenji before. He said being a player _and_ a coach for teams like Shoyo was very stressful… especially since he was shorter than the rest, and they are all of the same age, and he had to find out someway not to take advantage of the team's height, but sharpen their skills. Stressful, yes, but he'd do anything to make Shoyo win, to be the best team in Japan. That's the kind of determination I want. What you are doing, Akagi, is not correct."

"Wha...?" Akagi said, shocked.

"I don't want you to keep punishing the students. Take Kainandai, for example," Anzai-sensei said, "Their captain, Maki never punishes them, nor scolds them a lot. And what about Ryonan? Akira and Jun don't make a lot of noise, do they, Akagi-kun? In fact, they encourage them. Taoka does the shouting. Kenji encourages his team mates. You saw him in your last match with Shoyo, didn't you? He was always determined and soft-spoken, never harsh. He speaks with encouraging words." Anzai-sensei chuckled. "He believes that in Shoyo there are no failures. But he believes in weaknesses. And he wants to destroy all those weaknesses."

"Uh...?"

"You know Jin from Kainan? The coach and the captain never pushed him, but he practiced on his own. He practiced, and now he's the best shooting guard in this prefecture!"

                "Oh...?"

"If they don't want to practice, Akagi, let it be. I don't want them to be pushed around. If they're not going to practice, we'll just lose. Leave it to them. But give them some form of encouragement."

Akagi nodded, finally understanding what the coach was saying. "Anzai-sensei, one more thing..."

"…Akagi-kun?"

"Izuke-chan... she wants to join the team."

"Sou desu ne… is she any good?"

"VERY!" Akagi said, his face all smiles, "She beat us all on her own just now, and she shoots well too!"

"Sou yo." Anzai-sensei nodded. "I knew that was coming. When I saw the girl at the IJH full of confidence… even at the benches, looking bright and confident… I was sure she'd be a star someday. Her skills may even surpass that of Shin'ichi Maki's."

"Anzai-sensei... arigato! Domo arigato gozaimasu, Anzai-sensei!" Izuke exclaimed, bowing deeply. "But my style is nowhere near Shin'ichi-san's. He is too good a player."

Anzai-sensei obviously wasn't listening to what Izuke was saying. "Anyway, now that Izuke is here... this is the new strategy I'm going to devise..." Anzai-sensei began....

                **********************************************************************

"GO! SHOHOKU! GO!"

"GO! SHOYO! GO!"

The cheers echoed round the stadium as teams Shohoku and Shoyo proceeded to the benches on either side of the court. Captain and Coach Fujima was there, encouraging his team and urging them on with effective words as usual.

"We're going to win this!"

"YEAH!"

                "We lost to Shohoku once, but not now! We'll win this now, or never!"

                "YEAH!!"

"Good!"

"YEAH!!!"

Fujima gave his team members a sidelong look, saying, "You don't have to say that so many times..."

"YEAH!" the team echoed. Fujima sighed.

                **********************************************************************

end of chapter 1

by kenjii izuke (izuke)


	2. Fujima : Foe Or Friend?

**Title: Slam Dunk – A Different Story**

Author: Kenjii Izuke (Izuke)

Part 2/27: "Fujima – Foe or Friend?"

                Shohoku's new player, Kenjii Izuke, wearing the red jersey with the large, white number nineteen on it, sat on the bench patiently. She glanced across the court and noticed someone staring at her, cocking his head to one way to get a better look at her, as though he recognized her from somewhere before. _It's Fujima-san_, she thought. _Why is he giving me some weird look? Maybe he's never seen a girl play basketball before_. She chuckled and shook her head. _Fujima-san, I want to see who's better – you or me_.

                Cold, dark-haired Rukawa Kaede, Shohoku's small forward, wearing the jersey with the number eleven, seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Izuke. _Fujima – its time to test our strengths again. You – or me. Only one of us will win this match_.

                The game started in a few minutes. Izuke watched fearfully. Even though only five minutes passed, Shoyo was running wild and were leading 12 – 0. In about another five minutes Shoyo had scored again and the score was now 16 – 1. After fifteen minutes of the game, Anzai-sensei called for a break. Immediately the two teams got off the court and Anzai-sensei proceeded to talk to the Shohoku team. "Izuke-chan," he said, "I want you to get in there and show them how you play." The coach turned over to the other judges and muttered something.

                "I don't believe this," he said, turning back to the team. He took off his glasses to clean them and the team noticed his bright, twinkling eyes. Anzai-sensei was obviously quite enthusiastic about the match that day. "But they've actually allowed us a brief five minutes of practice before we continue."

                "WHAT?" Akagi said. By right, this was not appropriate – but because Izuke was a new player, the judges had given in, giving her time to 'break in' on the court and get used to the area. Usually, this never happened, but the fact that Izuke was a girl may have been an asset in changing the judges' minds as well. "Well! That's good, then! Come on, team!"

                Shohoku took one half of the court and Shoyo along with Fujima took the other side. Izuke practiced shooting with the Shohoku team covering her as if she were from the other team. Out of 10 balls, 9 went in. All perfect lay-up shots. Like Akagi Haruko, Akagi Takenori's younger sister, she was one who could never afford to miss at least the lay-up shot or running shot.

                Fujima turned to watch Shohoku and noticed Izuke's amazing lay-ups and alley-oops. He was quite impressed and found this interesting to watch. "Fujima… who are you looking at?" Toru came over.

                "Look…" Fujima pointed at Izuke, "Who's that girl there?"

                "Would I know?" Toru said, laughing. He adjusted his glasses, which were about to fall off. Then he turned to Fujima again.

                "She plays very well for a girl of her height. Be careful of her. I watched her playing and her shooting. She's small, so she can elude easily, and she moves quite quickly. She could be even better than Jin," Fujima warned Toru. Soichiro Jin was a player from Kainandai Fuzoku whose name was famous in the 3P-shooting league. No one beat him at 3-pointers.

                Toru nodded. "If it doesn't go well…?"

                "I'm coming into the game… and I'll take care of her," Fujima said seriously, "Maybe if I could get her to be in Shoyo…"

                "That's ridiculous," Toru said, "That would mean she has to switch school. Fujima, are you thinking fine?"

                "I'm fine, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

                The bell rang, indicating that the five minutes were over. Anzai-sensei called out to Izuke. "IZUKE!! REPLACE MITSUI!!"

                Mitsui nodded and ran out of the court, running a hand across his sweaty forehead as Izuke took his place on the court. He didn't like the idea of being taken out of the court so early, but he was eager to watch how Izuke would take to trashing Shoyo with her superb skills. The bell rang loudly again. The game had started! At the tip-off, Akagi roared as he jumped and gave the ball a great smack and sent it flying across the court. Izuke ran after it and caught it. She began running to the basket, dribbling as she went.

               Three of the Shoyo team members followed to cover her while the other two guarded the basket. In a swirl and flurry of amazing moves, which included a number of excellent feints, Izuke escaped the team and ran over to the basket. Toru proceeded to use a steamboat cover, but Izuke countered this easily – she didn't shoot. It was a false move. She jumped up again and threw the ball. It swished through the net.

                "YEAH!" she shouted, punching the air with her fist. Fujima, shocked, took this as a signal to act, even though Izuke had just scored once. He understood what would happen in just five minutes if he didn't counter the situation. The game would be Shohoku's wave. He stood up, his face determined and full of confidence, and immediately called for a player change for Shoyo. "Player change!" he called, turning to the judges, "I'm going in to play."

                "Ito! Out!" he shouted, pointing to Ito. Ito jogged out of the court immediately. Fujima removed his jacket, exposing his green _Shoyo_ jersey. Fujima walked into the court with a slight smile on his face. His determination would lead _Shoyo_ to victory.

               "Shoichi! Number 4! Mitsuru! Number 7! Kazushi! Number 4! Toru! Number 11! I'll guard number 19…" Fujima said, approaching Izuke. Izuke gulped.

                "Fujima Kenji?" she said, looking at Fujima in the eye.

                "Eh…?" Fujima was obviously distracted.

                "Let's see who's better… you – or me," Izuke said boldly, even though she was shaking from head to toe. Fujima stared down at her – he was only about 9 cm taller than the 1.69m tall Izuke – and grinned slightly.

                "…Really? Well, I don't mind the challenge," Fujima said, smiling and patted her shoulder as though she were a little girl. Izuke looked extremely confused, but this quickly turned to seriousness as the two centre players got ready for the tip-off.

                And the game began. Kazushi passed the ball to Fujima without signalling, who shouted, "Baka! Don't pass it to me like that!" at him when the ball hit his shoulder. He turned around and tried to pass the ball to Shoichi. But Izuke wouldn't let that happen. She covered Fujima as well as Hanamichi covered Uozumi.

                "Soh~!" Fujima said, grinning at Izuke, "You _are_ good." He attempted a fake ball, but Izuke, who knew all about Fujima's moves – since she tried to follow them – was too smart for that. As quick as lightning she snatched the ball from Fujima and dribbled it towards the basket. "Rukawa-kun!" she shouted, and passed the ball to Rukawa. Rukawa caught it marvellously and attempted a shoot. Mitsuru knocked the ball away. Fujima ran after it, but Izuke was nearer. She caught the ball – and Fujima caught her.

                "Yikes!" Izuke exclaimed. Fujima, realizing that he'd accidentally grabbed hold of Izuke's head, jumped away, yelling "Sorry about that!" and attempted to cover her. Fortunately, the referee hadn't taken note of this and did not blow a whistle for foul.

                Izuke soared high. It was too late for Shoyo to do anything now. Despite her height, she jumped amazingly and her fingertips just reached the rim… she actually performed a SLAM DUNK!!. All those years of doing high jump and going for artistic gymnastics training sessions in her old school really paid off. Izuke grinned and high-fived Rukawa, who complimented her, saying, "Nice!". She ran over to the middle of the court, and was immediately blocked by Fujima.

                Mitsuru tossed the ball to Fujima, but Izuke was quicker. She reached out her hand in front of Fujima and intercepted the pass.

                In just eight minutes, Izuke had scored 9 points for the team, Rukawa 10, Sakuragi 4 and Akagi 6. But Shoyo was still leading 50 – 40. Rukawa, furious, pushed himself to his limit. Now, after eleven minutes of furious and aggressive scoring as well as fine teamwork, the score was raised to 55 – 52. Shoyo's determination was growing, and their defense was much stronger. There was still about a minute to play.

                "SHOHOKU! SHOHOKU! GO KENJII IZUKE! GO RUKAWA KAEDE!"

                "SHOYO! SHOYO! GO FUJIMA KENJI! GO HANAGATA TORU!"

                Izuke was struggling to keep Fujima from scoring as well as catching or even passing the ball. The same went with Fujima. It was a furious battle between a girl and a boy almost a head taller than her, and with more sharpened skills. Many people in the stands, watching the friendly match, were amazed at how Izuke outdid Fujima so easily.

                "Argh! I'm coming!" Rukawa yelled as Izuke was being covered by 4 Shoyo team members. "_Sonna_! 15 seconds!" Rukawa sprinted across the court and Izuke tossed him the ball. Just as the Shoyo team covered Rukawa, Rukawa passed the ball back to Izuke and the new star player performed a beautiful three-pointer that saved the team – from losing. The bell went, indicating time-out. The score was a tie. 55 – 55.

                The Shohoku team and the Shoyo team shook hands and then went back to their respective benches, all except Fujima Kenji and Kenjii Izuke. Izuke had been dragged out of the stadium by Fujima who 'wanted a word' with her.

                "What? What?" Izuke exclaimed, rubbing her wrist, which was red from Fujima's strong grip. "Ouch, for crying out loud, don't pull me out like that next time!"

                "Hey, congratulations," Fujima said, smiling at Izuke, "You deserved to win."

                "Oh? Well, we didn't. Too bad," Izuke answered quickly, forcing a smile. She went back to rubbing her painful wrist. "You played well."

                "I did?" Fujima said, and laughed, "So did you. You played much better than I did. I was surprised you didn't fall for my ace fake ball. Everyone does."

                Izuke blushed immediately. "Oh… that. I know all about your fake balls." She looked up and grinned. "You can't trick me. I know every single move you've got. So its not easy getting past me, you know."

                "Sou yo…?" Fujima said, "How?"

                "Well," Izuke said, and sat on a bench outside. Fujima sat next to her. "The truth is… when I was younger… junior high… I used to watch you play. I really loved the way you play… and Rukawa-san too… that I made up my mind that one day… I would be like you. I would be like Rukawa-san. That I would be the best player Japan's ever seen."

                "And you did a good job. So what about me?"

                "I used to imitate every single one of your moves. Every trick, every step," Izuke said, "I became something like a replica of you. But then I decided to make my own moves. My fake balls. My moves."

                Fujima nodded. "I'm impressed," he said, "By the way… I think I've seen you somewhere before, you know."

                "You have?"

              "Yeah," Fujima answered, "During a competition or something. I think during the IH… or the IJH. Were you at the IH two years ago…? I think you were talking to… Minami." He turned away slightly, and winced when he mentioned the name Minami. Minami played dirty on the court when he wanted desperately to win. He gave Fujima an injury once during the IH.

                Izuke nodded. She broke out into a grin, not noticing Fujima's wistful expression, and hugged Fujima loosely. "Yay! The famous player Fujima actually remembers me!" She let go and laughed. "Whoops," she exclaimed, "Sorry about that." She moved away, feeling slightly embarassed.

                "Nope, don't worry," Fujima said, laughing, "By the way… sorry about what happened on the court. I was too focused on the ball. I had no idea you were going to cut in so fast."

                "Its OK," Izuke said, "But… I have to admit, it was kind of surprising. One minute I'd caught the ball, and suddenly somebody pulls my head back. Ouch!"

                "That's not as painful as you think," Fujima said, lauging, "Once that Sakuragi guy actually fell on top of me during a game." Then Fujima suddenly stopped laughing. He hung his head, looking quite sad.

                "Something wrong?"

                Fujima looked at Izuke with sad eyes, but he forced a weak smile. "That was the time we lost. We lost. To Shohoku. All my dreams. To be the best coach. To be the best player. To make Shoyo the best team. To enter the IH. All gone. But now… I'm going to keep playing! Shoyo is number one this year! I'll do whatever it takes to get my team to the top!"

                _No wonder Anzai-sensei likes him_, Izuke thought. _He's so full of determination!! He does things not for himself. He works hard… for his team. _"I feel that way too," Izuke said, "I try my best to make my team the best in Japan. It bothers me when something goes wrong."

                "Sou desu…"

                "I've never actually tried playing any other position besides second guard and point guard before. I should talk to Anzai-sensei about it," Izuke said suddenly, purposely changing the subject.

                Fujima looked at her. "I think you do quite well as a point guard."

                "So do you," Izuke said, "Okay, so the both of us are two of the best point guards Japan has ever seen." She laughed at her own joke and slapped Fujima a high-five.

                "Look… uh… Izuke," Fujima said, "Would you consider… coming to Shoyo?"

                "What???"

                "I mean it. Shoyo needs plenty of promising players these days… and we're losing. We're losing. I need more good players to take over the game. Plus… I'll be leaving school in a year's time…" Fujima hung his head, "I'm really gonna miss basketball."

                "You can play for college."

                "Yeah, maybe, but its not the same as high school basketball…" Fujima said, "Anyway… would you come to Shoyo?"

                Izuke chuckled. "You know, this is ridiculous," she said, "I just entered Shohoku, and now you're asking me to go to Shoyo?? This is weird. What will my parents say…?"

                "Please," Fujima pleaded, looking at her with his deep blue-gray eyes. "PLEASE." Izuke shrugged.

                "I don't know," she said, "I have to ask my parents about it first. Besides… Shohoku… the game's not over…"

                "That's OK," Fujima said, "You can change parties when this is over. Besides, the tie-break is next week." He grinned slightly when he said this.

                "I'll… I'll think about it," Izuke told him reassuringly.

                "Good," Fujima said, grinning, "Hope to see you in Shoyo soon, then!" They both got up, and walked back to the stadium, hand-in-hand.


	3. Izuke : Power Forward

Title: Slam Dunk – A Different Story 

Author: Kenjii Izuke (Izuke)

Part 3/27: "Izuke, Power Forward Player"

                                                                                -               -               -               -               -               -               -               -

Hello, readers! I hope you're okay with this story so far. I did get a number of complaints about the school switching, and Rukawa getting involved in that and all... um... gosh, maybe Rukawa's more suited for Shohoku after all. Agh! Oh well, if that's the case, I'll get him to stick around. (Gee, poor Rukawa-kun, he's got to keep running around)

                                                                                -               -               -               -               -               -               -               -

                "_WHAAAATT~_??? Are you crazy?"

                "No, _oka-san_, I'm not crazy. Can I transfer school again?"

                "Well… it depends. What school is this?"

                "Shoyo High School," Izuke said, sitting down on the sofa. "Can I?"

                Mrs. Kenjii looked thoughtful. "Shoyo's a good school… but I'm not sure. This is a little weird, changing school all of a sudden. Why the sudden change?"

                Izuke gulped. Would she have to tell her mother about what Fujima said? "Well, oka-san… the basketball team…"

                "Ah, the basketball team," Mrs. Kenjii said, smiling, "The one with that famous IH player Fujima Kenji in it?" Izuke nodded, surprised at her mother knowing all this. "Does this… by any chance… have anything to do with him?"

                Izuke gulped again. "Er… well, he wants…"

                "I see, I see," Mrs. Kenjii interrupted, "Not bad. I'll ask your father." She walked into one of the rooms. Izuke heard talking coming from inside. About a few minutes later, Mrs. Kenjii came out again.

                "Hm…" she said, scratching a mosquito bite on her arm, "Your father doesn't seem to mind. And neither do I… so I guess its OK. I'd better ring up the school now. They should have vacant spots. And whatever it is, don't forget you're going to Shoyo on Monday and not Shohoku." Izuke's mother shook her head, tsk-ing at her daughter in disbelief. "My goodness, dear girl, I can't believe I'm actually doing this for you."

                Izuke didn't believe it. "YAHOO! Thanks, oka-san! I owe you one!" she yelled, and leaped all the way to her room and lay down on her bed. In ten minutes, she was fast asleep.

***********************************************************************************

                Izuke woke up. She blinked a few times, and then remembered that this was the day she went to Shoyo High School instead of Shohoku. It was unbelievable. She had been in Shohoku for only a week, and suddenly she was in Shoyo.

                She changed into the Shoyo school uniform which her mother had laid out for her. The uniform was not like Shohoku's. All students, including girls, wore olive green ties and gray boots. Their uniforms were like Kobe uniforms – blouse, green blazer, long socks, short skirt, the whole infamous set. Prefects were distinguished only by their black blazers and shining black shoes. The girls' uniforms were in black and gray, and looked grander than that of Shohoku's.

                After a quick breakfast, Izuke walked out of the house with her bag. She proceeded to the bus stop in front of her house. The bus arrived almost immediately. Izuke got on and started reading her English textbook. She read patiently as the bus rumbled on past a number of stops, letting people on and off.

                "Next stop, outside Shoyo High School. Next stop, outside Shoyo High School."

                Izuke jumped up and went to the stairs at the back of the bus. The bus came to a halt just in front of Shoyo High School and she got off. The bus rolled away.

                "Ohaiyo, Izuke-chan."

                Izuke turned. "Ne…?" She saw Fujima standing just in front of her. "O-o-ohaiyo! Eh… eh…" She didn't know what to say. "Why aren't you… in… er… school?"

                "I was waiting for you to arrive," Fujima said nonchalantly, as though it was something he did everyday.

                "…_Ch-ch-chotto_, _wa-watashi ni_? For me…? What for?" Izuke said, looking quite confused now.

                Fujima chuckled. "To see if you really would come to Shoyo. I'm surprised. Just yesterday you were playing against my team… and now you're with us. This is crazy. I didn't actually think you'd take it seriously."

                "Oh… ahah…" Izuke said, nodding, "_Honto desu ka_!? What if I didn't turn up? You'd be waiting here like an idiot! Whatever. OK… I'm lost now. I don't know this place at all! Where do I find my class???"

                "Are you forgetting that I've been here for three years, girl? I obviously know my way around here like my own home," Fujima said, grinning brightly. "Come on." He walked into the school, and Izuke followed along.

                "You know, I'd better not stand near you," Izuke said suddenly, "Or people are going to give me _really _weird looks!" She laughed and kept a distance away from Fujima. Fujima stopped and grabbed Izuke's hand and dragged her along. "Ow! Not again!" Izuke exclaimed, and pulled away. She followed after Fujima obediently, not wanting to have her wrist hurt.

                "This is the hall," Fujima said, stopping in front of a large indoor compound, "Don't bother about lining up. If you're in the basketball team, that's not necessary. You'll be missing a lot of classes, by the way."

                "_Nani_?" Izuke exclaimed, "_Demo_…"

                "_Benkyou, benkyou_.      (translation : study, study)     That's the key to it," Fujima answered her quickly and turned round a corner. "By the way, did you remember to bring your basketball clothes?"

                "Er… yeah," Izuke said, "But my jersey says _dM_."

                "Don't worry, you're new. No one's going to bother about what it says, as long as it's proper clothes," Fujima told her reassuringly. "This – is the canteen." The canteen was huge, with rows of tables and benches arranged all around the compound. There was a whole row of stalls selling different kinds of food.

                "The labs are on the second floor," Fujima said, "And the toilets are on the other side of the canteen. See over there?" He pointed out the toilets. "The classes are on that side – the whole of that area… that's the badminton court… the pool is on the other side of the classes… there's the squash court, and there are two basketball courts. One is downstairs… and the one we normally use is upstairs… on the top floor."

                "Top… floor?" Izuke said.

                "Yeah, top floor. And its really hot up there, so don't say I didn't tell you." Fujima glanced at his watch. "Hm… seven-thirty. Come on, time to practice. I can't believe I'm late."

                "Late…?"

                "Yeah," he said, "Practice starts at seven."

                "Oh," Izuke said, and nodded. In Shohoku She followed Fujima all the way up six flights of stairs… all the way to the top floor. Fujima walked through the first door, and Izuke followed him through. A group of people – about eight of them – were already practicing. They stopped the moment Fujima entered.

"Fujima," Toru greeted, smiling, "Ohaiyo! Izuke!" He gave a slight nod as a greeting to Izuke. Izuke waved back, as though they were good friends. In truth, all these people were like strangers to her.

                Fujima pointed to a small room in the corner. "You can go change in there." Izuke nodded and ran over to the room. Five minutes later, she was out, dressed in the _Do Minato _basketball clothes. She stood out from the rest of the team as her clothes were blue, while theirs were bright green. "Ten rounds now!" Fujima shouted loudly, as he sat down on a chair, dressed in his basketball clothes, and a jacket draped over his shoulders. Immediately the team began jogging around the court. When they were done with ten rounds, Fujima got up. "Shooting… from the penalty line!"

                While the team practiced shooting, Fujima did basic warm-ups and practiced basic ball passing movements. "Stop!" he shouted, turning around to face the team. The team immediately stopped. "Izuke-chan, I want you to cover Toru. Toru, try and shoot. The rest of you, sit down and watch."

                Toru immediately began running around the court with the ball, as Izuke kept her distance. She didn't believe in pursuing the players all around the court. She preferred to keep her energy by keeping nearer to the basket, which she was meant to guard. As a point guard, she certainly had the energy for guarding and shooting.

                Toru neared the basket. Izuke, though short compared to male basketball players, could jump quite high – _just _high enough to reach the rim for a slam-dunk – but this only happened once in a blue moon, when God decided to work a miracle on her jumping. Toru jumped up and attempted to shoot, but Izuke stretched out her hand and knocked the ball away. The ball dropped to the floor and bounced all the way to the other side of the court. The two players jumped down.

                "What th…" Toru exclaimed, and ran after the ball, which rolled away and stopped when it bumped into the wall.

                Fujima chuckled to himself, and stood up. "Did you see that?" he said loudly, and all the players stopped to look at him and listen to what he had to say. "Did you see that? That was pretty great, wasn't it? I hope all of you have learnt something from Izuke's guarding." He smiled at Toru. "Hanagata. Don't let that get you down."

                "Wait, Fujima," Ito said, "If you're a point guard, what is she?"

                Fujima looked thoughtful, and stared at his Asics shoes. "Izuke… you'll take the position Power forward! Ito, you're the Second Guard… Kazushi, small forward… Toru, you're still centre… and I'll keep at being the Point Guard." He dribbled a basketball before letting it drop to the floor and roll away. "Now listen. We tied with Shohoku last week. Tomorrow we'll break the tie. I want all of you to attack! We must beat them by at least 25 points!"

                "Izuke-chan," Toru said, "We're relying on you. Do your best."

                "HAI," Izuke said enthusiastically, and suddenly her face turned sour. "Hey, _chotto matte_! I can't play power forward!" she exclaimed, running up to Fujima with a terrified look. "I've never played as power forward before! I can't be the main right wing attacker! I... I can't even dunk! I'm not tall enough! H-hey, Fujima!"

                Fujima turned and stared at her with raised eyebrows. "Eh?" he said, and grinned. Izuke slunk back slightly, predicting his answer in advance. _I know he's going to give me one of those weird looks and he won't change his mind anyway_, she said, the corners of her mouth turning down. "Well, just go out there tomorrow and give it all you got, because there isn't any other position available," he said, and patted her shoulder kindly.

                "I hope entry into your school has a moneyback guarantee," Izuke said, sticking out her tongue, and Fujima looked mock horrified.

                "You wouldn't _dare_," he said, and laughed, knowing that it was all a joke. He shrugged, and walked off. "I know you can do it," he called back to a confused Izuke.

***********************************************************************************

                "WHAT?"

                "No way!"

                "Impossible!"

                "I don't believe it."

                "Its true," Ayako exclaimed in frustration, turning a bright red, as Miyagi pressed the question at her. She waved her paper fan around threateningly, and Miyagi immediately stopped asking questions.

"Izuke-chan _has_ transferred to Shoyo High School. It's not my fault, don't shout at me!"

                Rukawa was thoroughly shocked. Shoyo… everyday his father was asking him to switch to Shoyo, but he'd said no, Shohoku was a good team and with him in it they'd win all the time. "Otou-san, what's your problem? Besides, Shohoku's nearer to our house, and Anzai-sensei is a good basketball coach. You want me to cycle for twenty minutes just to get to Shoyo?"

And yet, his father would persist each day, hoping that Rukawa, one day would change his mind and decide to study in Shoyo High. "What's with you and that crazy old man? What's basketball if you don't excel in your studies!? Damn you, boy, if you want to keep playing basketball in Shohoku you're going to have to prove to me that you can play it well in your studies too! And speaking of basketball, I, son, will tell you honestly, that Shoyo has a better reputation in that darned ball sport. It's got higher prestige. Go think about it. It's your decision."

But now… to replay the whole match and to win would be very, _very _hard – especially with Izuke in Shoyo. And now that Shoyo's prestige was boosted, Shohoku would hardly stand a chance of winning the next year, and the year after that. And that, put simply, meant that he would not make it to the nationals. That meant that no talent scout would notice him, and if the national varsity team found out that he was part of the losing team, they might kick him out. Should _he_ switch to Shoyo, too? That would be silly. He could almost see the school paper headlines. _ONE BY ONE, SHOHOKU PLAYERS ALLYING SHOYO_. But then…

                "Well, now we're in dire straits," Mitsui said gravely, staring at the parquet floor. "For one thing, we'll be playing a replay match. With Izuke, it'll be their game both sets. We won't have time to attack if we keep defending against their shooters." He shook his head, and slammed his fist into the wall angrily. "DAMN!" he cursed.

                The match had been tied, and naturally, was supposed to be continued for five minutes. The team that was leading by the end of those five minutes would be the winner. However, this time, there had been some technical problems with the play. Shohoku did not know what had happened, but rumour had it that Fujima and his team had persuaded the panel of judges to hold a replay match instead of a tiebreaker on the day itself.               

                "They can't do that!" Kogure protested angrily, leaning against the wall. "They should have just kicked Shoyo out! This isn't part of basketball rules! How can they... how can they just allow a replay like that? They're crazy!!" His face was red.

                Rukawa, meanwhile, was still thinking hard. _Transfer to Shoyo?_ That was a very hard decision to make. Rukawa decided to go home and discuss it with his parents. If the answer were _Shoyo_, then Shoyo it would be. But he'd have to face a very painful defeat in the match tomorrow first – before a great victory hailed him.


	4. My Friend My Enemy

Title: Slam Dunk – A Different Story 

Author: Kenjii Izuke (Izuke)

Part 4/27: "My Friend Is My Enemy?"

                "ITTE ITTE SHOYO! OTTE OTTE SHOYO!"

                "SHOHOKU! SHOHOKU!"

                Izuke walked out. Yesterday, Fujima had explained his strategy to her. It was simple. In fact, it was the same strategy he used for all the games Shoyo had been playing so far. For every game, Fujima sat out until he was needed. This time, he would still sit out, but Izuke would sit out as well. When crisis hit the team, both star players would enter the game and lead team Shoyo to a great victory. A victory that would make history for Shoyo High School.

                "GO, SHOYO!" Fujima yelled as he winked at Toru. Toru nodded back. He stood in front of Akagi, preparing to cover him. The Shohoku players were Akagi(center), Kogure(shooting guard), Ishii(point guard), Shiozaki(power forward) and Yasuda(small forward). Shohoku's front line for the first-half was not very strong. Izuke figured they would bring out the other four players later.

                Izuke felt awkward. She was the one who brought Shohoku to such a great score – they were far behind, but with her skill, she tied the marks. Now, in the replay match, she would be the one to bring the opposing team, Shoyo, up, and bring Shohoku to a terrible defeat.

                "Remember, at least 25 marks!" Fujima shouted.

                "Fujima-san, you know… everybody keeps asking me if I'm related to you," Izuke said, turning to Fujima.

                "Really?"

                "Because of my family name."

                Fujima turned to glance at Izuke with raised eyebrows. "Oh, I see. They're quite stupid, then. We have different last names. My family name is Fujima. Yours is Kenjii."

                "_Hai_, _wakarimasu_. _Demo…_ but you know how they are… with Kenji and Kenjii…" Izuke said.

                "_Sou_… I know… OH! SUGOI, TORU! GANBATTE!" Fujima shouted, giving Toru the thumbs-up sign. Toru just scored a 3-pointer. Now Shoyo was leading 10 – 4. "With luck, we may not even have to go down for this game!" The audience cheered loudly with Shoyo's famous cheer, shouting, "Ike, ike Shoyo! Otte otte Shoyo!"

                With Fujima's encouragement and Izuke's presence, the Shoyo team played like never before. They were excellent! When the first half was over, Shoyo had got an excellent lead of 38 – 11. What Fujima said, was done. Shoyo was leading by more than 25 marks. Akagi was flaming his team for playing so badly.

                Shohoku's coach, Anzai-sensei, finally called for a player change. The new order of players was – Akagi Takenori (center), Miyagi Ryota (point guard), Mitsui Hisashi (shooting guard), Rukawa Kaede (small forward), and Sakuragi Hanamichi (power forward).

                "They've brought out their 'power team'," Izuke told Fujima, looking a little worried "Should we go out now?"

                "No," Fujima answered her quickly, "We'll go in after about five to ten minutes. This time, Shoyo will win!"

                Team Shoyo was still filled with energy, but with the five stars of Shohoku, the distance between the marks was getting smaller and smaller each time as the Shohoku players scored. Soon, the score was 45 – 40.

                "We're going in now," Fujima said and stood up. At precisely the same time, Fujima and Izuke removed their dark green jackets. Izuke was now wearing a _Shoyo_ jersey with the number 10 on it. "I _will_ do my best," she murmured softly as Fujima called for a player change. Fujima replaced Shoichi and Izuke replaced Mitsuru. The new order of players for the Shoyo team was now – Fujima Kenji (point guard), Kenjii Izuke (power forward), Hasegawa Kazushi (shooting guard), Taku Ito (small forward) and Hanagata Toru (centre).

                "I'll take number 14… Kazushi, take Akagi; Ito, take Miyagi; Toru, Sakuragi… and Izuke… go for number 11," Fujima ordered loudly. Izuke nodded and took her place behind Rukawa, who was looking cold, as usual. "_Jyu-ichi-den_!! Mark OK!"Rukawa shot her a wistful look, but Izuke quickly looked away to avoid any wistfulness that might have arisen in her as well.

                "GO!" Fujima shouted, as Kazushi sent the ball to him. Mitsui knocked it away, and Rukawa caught it. "IZUKE, DEFENSE!" Fujima ordered, running to the basket, his hair flying as he sprinted across the court.

                "OK!" Izuke followed behind Rukawa, and without any sign, stole the ball and began dribbling it all the way to the other side without any obstacles. There she faced Akagi, who towered high above her, ready to use his specialty – the steamboat cover.

                Immediately the Shoyo team crowded round Akagi, just outside the circled area. This was a planned-out strategy. Izuke passed the ball to Fujima, who tossed it to Kazushi, who quickly passed it to Izuke again. Akagi, who had just turned to Kazushi, saw Izuke and proceeded to cover her, but quick as lightning, the ball was in Fujima's hands.

                Fujima jumped as he tossed the ball. _Swish_! The ball fell through the basket neatly. "Yes!" he shouted, "Come on, Shoyo! We'll show them how to play basketball… _properly_!!" The loud cheers of the audience in the stands filled the stadium. _IKE IKE SHOYO!! OTTE OTTE SHOYO!! IKE IKE SHOYO!! OTTE OTTE SHOYO!! IKE IKE SHOYO!!_

                "With Izuke, we don't stand a chance," Hanamichi panted, nearing Akagi. His red hair was drenched in sweat, and his red jersey was quite wet already. This was a surprising statement coming from Hanamichi, who usually acted as the genius (_tensai_) around everyone during basketball games.Akagi turned to Hanamichi and glared at him angrily.

                "I can't believe I'm hearing that from _you_, the self-proclaimed _TENSAI_ of it all. Sakuragi!! What happened to your bulldog determination?We _have_ to win this game," Akagi answered gruffly, and pushed Hanamichi aside. "Go and cover them." This sparked up Hanamichi's energy. He laughed loudly, but before he could self-declare himself the basketball man for the umpteenth time, Akagi Takenori left a huge bump on his head with his fist.

                Rukawa was sweating heavily. He wiped his sweat away quickly, and sprinted forward to keep up with Izuke, who was moving with ease towards the basket. Just as he caught up with her, she made a side throw to Ito, who cleverly ran past Miyagi. Ito had been training hard for months to get his revenge on the sophomore who'd defeated his pride in the past season. He bounced the ball to Toru, who took the opportunity to shoot while Akagi was somewhere else.

                "AKAGI!" yelled Mitsui, pointing to the basket. Akagi roared and ran over to cover the shooter, but it was too late – Toru scored an excellent 3-pointer. Toru, who was never good at shooting from anywhere near the three-point line, had just overcome that.

                Time flew by – and there was only 5 minutes left to play. The score was 75 – 55. It was an almost impossible task for Shohoku to beat Shoyo now. "Come on, play ball!" Fujima encouraged, patting Toru's back. Toru winked at him and ran off to the other side of the court.

                Five minutes seemed like only a few seconds. In a flurry of fast movements, cheers of "YES! SCORE!" and yells of "BOO!", the game was over. The bell went. Shoyo had won 87 – 60!! A great victory for Shoyo – and one of the worst losses ever for Shohoku.

                "YES!" Fujima shouted, slapping Izuke a high-five. "And we owe it all to you!" He gave her a big bear hug.

                "Oof!" Izuke exclaimed, surprised, and then she returned the hug. Finally, she let go, and the Shoyo team proceeded to the middle of the court with the Shohoku team. Izuke stared at Rukawa and felt a pang of sadness. She'd left her old team Shohoku, in which she'd been for only a week – she'd played with them in the same match and increased their points – and now she'd helped the _other_ team. She shook hands with Rukawa, anyway, after bowing.

                "Rukawa-kun…" she said softly, "I'm… sorry."

                "It's OK," he answered, looking at her, "And let me tell you a secret… my dad is going to transfer me over to Shoyo." His usually stone-cold eyes twinkled. "I never thought of it, but he's been persisting, and I figured I won't want to be around a school where their basketball team isn't the best around."

                "Oh!" Izuke exclaimed. Rukawa ruffled her hair playfully. Then he straightened up and winked.

                "But don't tell anyone, OK? Except… Fujima," Rukawa said, his expression turning serious, "Come to think of it… I want to speak with him for a while. Go call him, will you?"

                Izuke nodded, too stunned for words. "Ke… ken… Kenji-senpai!" she exclaimed finally, "Er… could you come outside for a moment?" Fujima shrugged. "OK," he said. Izuke signalled to Rukawa, and he immediately followed them out.

                "Yes, Rukawa?" Fujima said, smiling, "You want to tell me something?"

                "Er… yes, Fujima," Rukawa said, looking unsure of himself, "I kind of might be transferring to Shoyo as well…" He ran out of words to say, and glanced at Izuke, wondering whether he should be telling Fujima all this.

                Fujima was quite surprised. "You will? Now… this is interesting… now we'll have two promising star players! Shoyo will be quite strong after this! I guess even when I'm gone the team will be fine – with you two around."

                "Go and confirm with your father, will you?" Izuke said eagerly, grinning happily.

                "I've confirmed it already. I'm coming in three days time. My father called up the school and the forms have been produced. But the Shohoku team doesn't know about it just yet," Rukawa said, frowning slightly. "They won't be very happy about it." He shook his head. "But it's not like I care about how they feel."

                "So why'd you keep saying _might_?" Izuke said.

                "I don't know," Rukawa answered her, "Just seems like a nice word to use. Sounds better than I _will_."

                The three basketball players laughed loudly, and their happy laughter echoed around the place as they walked into the park, arms round each other, with Rukawa in the middle.


End file.
